Godhood
by Reizod
Summary: An origin story for the villain Enel. One Shot


I do not own One Piece, nor do I intend to garner revenues from the use of its characters

Godhood

Written By Reizod

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Lightning. The hammer of the gods. A thing of immense unstoppable power, yet as fleeting as the beat of a humming birds wing. In that fleeting moment of existence it reshapes whatever it touches. Naught could be done to stop it. So awesomely powerful, yet beautiful in an almost poetic sense; this thing called lightning. Truly it could only be described as…godly.

But then, it had to be that way didn't it? After all it came down from the heavens. That's where the gods resided, so it only made sense that the lightning was theirs. They certainly were masters of it, destroying homes and people in the mere blink of an eye, setting flame to the inhabitants of his home with nary second-thought.

Still, those who witnessed and experienced it, did not mind this callous treatment. At least to Enel's knowledge no one complained. The gods were, after all, on another level of existence. Did an ant have the right to complain if a man squashed him? Did the man care that an ant was just killed? One thing certain: he knew that he couldn't find it in himself to care about the tiny assumedly mindless things that fled at the sight of his sandals.

According to the elders of his village, it was their obligation as humans to worship and honor the gods. There was no gift or incentive for it. No it was merely out of respect and (Enel surmised) fear. Of course, there was much to fear indeed, if the gods could summon lightning at a whim. He was certain that it was from this fear that sacrifices were made. Sometimes living animals, other times the best of the harvest. Regardless of what was given, it was imperative that it be given with a grateful heart. A heart that was (Enel supposed) grateful for a spared life.

In his youth, Enel accepted most of the teachings of his elders as truth. However, as time went on, he began to wonder: what was it that separated the gods from humans? The obvious answer was the stratosphere. But there was more to it than that. They were on a different level of existence. Humans were ants to them. But, why was that? He couldn't find an answer that truly made sense. So he turned his thoughts to the sacrifices. Why give them? Did gods need sustenance? It didn't make sense if they did. They were beyond such trivialities as hunger and replenishment. Weren't they? What if the source of their power was the sacrifices? Wouldn't that mean that they were dependent upon something and not all powerful? Wouldn't that mean they needed the humans that they crushed so easily with their lightning raids?

In an effort to discover the meaning of the sacrifices, Enel waited until after one of many sacrificial gatherings. The fear that he was taught by the elders of his village was very present as he watched from the shadows. However, his own in born curiosity overshadowed that fear. There was another reason he was driven to do this, although at the time he didn't understand what his second instinctual reasoning was. When the priests were gone, Enel approached the altar. Ripe luscious fruits lay before him beckoning the buds of his tongue.

Even with the knowledge of what could happen to him if the gods saw his sacrilegious actions, Enel couldn't stop himself. He grabbed an oddly colored fruit from the bunch and took a bite. It was sour and bitter, yet after his first bite he craved the rest of the forbidden fruit. He wolfed it down with animal ferocity, and when there was no more, he found that something was different. He felt charged with energy. Something chaotic and full of fervor danced beneath his skin. It coursed through his veins and made his entire body tingle with …_anticipation._ Was this how it felt to be a god?

He couldn't be certain. This could've been a bad fruit or something like that. He could've been dying at that very moment. Or he could've been transcending the barrier between man and beings of the celestial order. It certainly felt like the latter. However, there was only one way to tell.

He left the altar with a quick directed gate. He was excited, and yet fearful as he made his way back to the village. If he was correct, and he had truly gone beyond his mortal bounds, then he would be able to do as the gods did. But if he hadn't…

In moments he found himself at the center of his village, followed by a few curious kinsmen whom he'd passed. They stared at him with confused and somewhat intrigued expressions. Obviously his appearance had changed somehow. That was a good sign, but not enough. There really was only one way to convince himself. At least, this was the reasoning that he gave for the ensuing man-slaughter

He stretched his hands to the heavens and gave a fearful cry. Sure enough, a bolt of luminescent blue came down from the stratosphere and struck him. Yet he did not feel pain. Far from it, he felt invigorated by it. The dancing energy that had manifested inside him increased in fervor, coursing through his veins at a vastly accelerated rate. It pushed at his innards wanting release, wanting to escape him. So he let it do just that.

Tendrils of azure light burst forth from his body as his once kinsmen cringed in fear. Houses, animals and villagers alike, were caught in a furious maelstrom of indigo. Many writhed uncontrollably in cerulean tendrils of light and energy. Others caught fire, mingling flickering hues of red and orange with that of the blue that pervaded the scene.

A dark joy was aroused in the man of lightning as he effortlessly razed his home to dust. The crimson rivers that would flow the next day under dying flames only reminded him of the awesome power he now wielded. But then, why would he remember his glorious debut in any other light? They were only humans after all.

Soon after that he left the charred remains of his home behind, in search of a new civilization to rule. After all was that not what it meant to be a god? To hold the fates of those beneath you in the palm of your hand? To hold sway over them with a power that could not be denied?

The heavens would darken wherever he resided, this powerful, deluded man of the sky. To the remorseless clouds that followed he would respond in kind, smiling all the way.


End file.
